


The Love Life of a Yandere

by SophisticatedSage



Category: Yandere Simulator (Video Game)
Genre: Almost Kiss, Attempt at Humor, Blushing, Broken Bones, Bullying, Cell Phones, Childhood Friends, Clingy Raibaru Fumetsu, Confrontations, Costumes, Cross-Posted on FanFiction.Net, Crushes, Dango, Demon Summoning, Developing Friendships, Drama, F/M, First Meetings, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Friendship, Frosting, How Do I Tag, Humor, Icing, Japan, Japanese Culture, Kidnapping, Lollipops, Male-Female Friendship, Multi, Multiple Pairings, Multiple Relationships, My First Work in This Fandom, Oblivious, Occult, Originally Posted on FanFiction.Net, Other Additional Ships to Be Added, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Partial Nudity, Poisoning, Rituals, Running, Running Away, School Uniforms, Sewing, Soup, Spell Failure, Sporadic Updates, Strawberries, Student Council, Tags Are Hard, Texting, Tsunderes, Yandere
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-22
Updated: 2021-01-19
Packaged: 2021-02-28 04:54:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 17,744
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22838143
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SophisticatedSage/pseuds/SophisticatedSage
Summary: Ten introductions. Ten potential love interests. Ten times where said love interests have their hearts stolen by Ayano Aishi. Or, ten oneshots in which our favorite yandere meets the guy(s) of her dreams! [Ayano Aishi x Male Rivals]
Relationships: (Unrequited) Raibaru Fumetsu/Osano Najimi, Ayano Aishi | Yandere-chan & Kokona Haruka, Ayano Aishi | Yandere-chan & Osano Najimi, Ayano Aishi | Yandere-chan/Amao Odayaka, Ayano Aishi | Yandere-chan/Aso Rito, Ayano Aishi | Yandere-chan/Kizano Sunobu, Ayano Aishi | Yandere-chan/Mido Rana, Ayano Aishi | Yandere-chan/Mujo Kina, Ayano Aishi | Yandere-chan/Oko Ruto, Ayano Aishi | Yandere-chan/Osano Najimi
Comments: 48
Kudos: 120





	1. Orange Soda

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In this first chapter Ayano meets Osano, a boy who has a hopeless crush on her right from the start! Can he break the bounds of friendship to pursue something more with his apathetic beloved?

**[Ayano Aishi x Osano Najimi]**

Ayano Aishi was late. _Very late._

Needless to say, this was definitely _not_ how she wanted to start off the new school year. But it's not like it was _her_ fault that her alarm hadn't gone off this morning!

Okay, so maybe it had. But in her defense, the new manga she had bought the other day was just too good to put down! So, she ended up not going to bed until very very late that night, and thus, overslept.

Grabbing her school uniform from her closet, the young woman hastily changed into her skirt and blouse. After grabbing a piece of bread from the pantry, and her shoes by the day, she rushed out of her front door, the untoasted wheat product dangling out of her mouth.

Luckily, Akademi High wasn't too far from where she lived, so she could easily make it on time if she ran the entire time. Putting her athletic abilities to use, Ayano sprinted down the mostly empty street, racing against the clock.

Finally, after seemingly hours of running, the gates of the Japanese high school came into view, just as they were about to close, she ran her way through the metal bars in record time.

Pausing to catch her breath, hands on her knees, Ayano gasped, inhaling as much air as she could before having to sprint to her first class.

"Miss Aishi! You better hurry if you don't want to be late for class! I'd hate to have to send you to the guidance counselor." A voice exclaimed right next to her.

Ayano glanced to her left, and there, standing next to the school gate, was the person who opened and closed the school gates every day, a tan woman in a red tracksuit with blonde hair and turquoise blue eyes, the gym teacher, Kyoshi Taiso.

"Yes, Sensei," Ayano said breathily as she jogged over to the school's entrance. She hurriedly opened her locker, and changed her shoes from her normal black Mary Janes, into the standard white and blue ones.

Laying her head against the top of the multiple lockers, Ayano felt the sweat drip from her forehead onto the gray hardware. Hearing the bell ring, Yan-Chan sighed in relief. She made it! Barely, but she still did it. Technically, she wasn't _late_ late, like not arriving on time for class. It was just typical that students arrived a bit earlier to hand out by the fountain area and talk with their friends before the day began. Not that she had any friends to talk with, she didn't need them, not really, but still, it wasn't a good feeling having to scale and then climb over the walls that surrounded the school because the gate closed. And yes, she _did_ have to do that once.

Seeing students leave the fountain area to their respective classrooms, Ayano joined the crowd of black button-ups and red ribbon sailor shirts. Subconsciously wiping her face once more, she decided to freshen up a bit before class.

Fortunately, the teachers always took a few extra minutes before walking in and officially taking attendance. Unfortunately, just as she turned the corner from the stairs to go into the girl's bathroom just perpendicular to classroom 2-1, she collided with a wall-wearing a pink and white polka-dotted shirt?

Wait no, that didn't sound right.

Hitting her head, landing flat on her behind, and bumping her nose with what she assumed was a person, Ayano muttered out a low groan, "Owww..." rubbing the bridge of her nose and covering the rest of her face in the process.

"Ugh! Watch where you're going!" Came the indignant male shriek of the student she had accidentally bumped into.

She nearly snorted. Who did this guy think he was? He was clearly walking way too fast when there were clearly other students walking up the stairs-who were now all in class. Great! After everything she had done to prevent it, this jerk was going to make her late! She couldn't just get up and leave without saying anything because unlike him, she was a polite human being!

Ready to give him a piece of her mind, Yan-Chan opened her mouth and began, "Well I'm sorry for bumping into you, but it was in no way entirely my fault alright?! In case you didn't notice, this area is typically where people walk every day, so maybe you should slow down a bit. I think that you should be apologizing as well since I'm going to be late now because of you!"

She looked at him just then, sprawled out on the light, yellow tiled floor, and was surprised to see that he was staring at her with a strange look on his face. His orange eyes were widening, and his cheeks were flushed an even darker color than that of his shirt, and his mouth was slightly open.

Seeing this, she stopped mid-rant as she gazed up at the boy. When he noticed that she had stopped talking and realized he was staring at her he looked away and blushed even harder.

Registering the fact that she was going to be late anyway, the black-haired girl took a moment to analyze the boy. With hair just as orange as his eyes, and the shade of red that was rapidly spreading across his face, he actually reminded her of tobiko, she thought amusedly.

He seemed really flustered, so much so that it was kinda cute.

She giggled. Not at him, but at the absurdness of the situation, which was way out of character for her either way; Ayano Aishi did _not_ giggle.

The boy seemed to think that her abrupt laughter was directed at him, and stood up, shyly looking down at his feet, one hand fidgeting with his hair tie, blush still firmly in place.

"I'm sorry," The boy uttered. "Maybe it was my fault, but next time you better look where you're going, Baka!"

Now, if he hadn't look embarrassed, she might have been mildly offended. Taking pity on him, she got up as well and brushed off her skirt.

Not being very good at social interaction, she skipped over the pleasantries and introduced herself, "Hello, my name is Ayano Aishi. What's yours?" she said monotonously, holding out her hand.

"O-Osano Najimi..." The orange-haired boy stuttered, feeling a bit jarred at how fast her tone changed.

_Osano Najimi? Hmm, this boy seems familiar, are we in the same class perhaps?_

She and Osano had not interacted previously to that day, the only reason she had recognized him was that she always took a mental note of everyone around her. It was just in her nature. Just in case they could be useful to her later on. Though she highly doubted that the seemingly shy ginger boy would be very helpful, but who knew? He didn't seem so bad as long as you were careful enough not to knock him over, and maybe it was about time she found herself a friend. Perhaps having someone close to her at all times might be proven beneficial.

"Are we in the same class, Osano-san?" Ayano asked.

"Yes, we are!" Osano pronounced, a little louder than necessary. "Erm, I mean, I think so. Class 2-1 right?..." He quickly relented.

"Yeah, right." She replied.

"Okay, since we're in the class and everything, you can call me Osano-Kun." Osano timidly spoke.

"Alright Osano-Kun, would you like to walk to class together? We're already late, but it'll be less awkward if we walk in late together." Yan-Chan stated. "Also, you can call me Yan-Chan."

__

_At lunchtime..._

__

Ayano sat on a bench, alone on the school rooftop, as she often did, clutching an orange soda that she had gotten from one of the school's several vending machines. She stubbornly ignored the rumbling of her stomach, angry that the only thing it had eaten was a slice of bread. In her rush to get to school that day, she had only enough cash left to buy herself a drink, which she was not used to, at all.

Her hand hovered over her phone, contemplating whether or not she should call on her new carrot-colored associate. While they had exchanged numbers after class, Ayano was still skeptical about how comfortable she should allow herself to be around her new "friend." She could survive for a few hours on sugar, couldn't she? It might make her crash and give her a _little_ headache later but was it worth it?

The girl looked down at her lap, where the plastic bottle that held the saccharine liquid was placed.

Orange soda. Strange. Why had she gotten it exactly? Water would have been a much smarter, and healthier choice. The usually apathetic girl was surprised to find herself entertained for the second time that day. It seemed like she was still subconsciously thinking about that odd boy she had met in the hallway.

In spite of herself, Ayano begrudgingly had to admit that she didn't dislike Osano, as she thought she would. She was prepared to have to ignore the Najimi boy, but she actually found herself actively listening to his demure passive-aggressive compliments almost immediately followed by half-hearted insults. Those varying from 'Baka' to 'dummy' and 'stupid.' It just seemed so off that he said these things, that she found him a bit fascinating, like how a scientist would study a test subject. It got her wondering if other people talked to their friends like that. So she listened. And she stayed.

Ayano found herself remembering a snippet of their second conversation earlier that day, right before they exchanged ways to contact each other.

_"Hey, Yan-Chan...I was wondering if maybe you wanted to swap numbers..so that we could talk some more after school later..?"_

_He had mumbled the whole thing, but she was pretty sure he had said that. But nevertheless, she asked him to repeat it._

_"Huh, what was that Osano?"_

_"What's wrong, are you deaf or something? I just asked for your phone number, dummy."_

_"Oh, sure."_

Ayano then noticed that she had a ghost of a smile on her face, and instantly returned her face to its blank expression when she noticed her new ally walking over to her, hands behind his back.

"There you are, I've been looking all over for you stupid!" Osano berated.

"Oh, hello Osano. I come up here every day, so you know where to find me, I suppose."

"Right, well I have something to give you, so shut up for a minute!" He yelled.

The gray-eyed girl looked up at him patiently, not at all anticipating that he would be handing her a bento, cutely wrapped in pink with white polka dotted fabric, uncoincidentally. She gazed up at her culinary savior with a look of awe. He couldn't have known right? It had to be a coincidence.

Her thoughts were interrupted when Osano exclaimed, "Hey..don't look at me like that okay? Just..shut up and eat your bento!"

"Thank you Osano, I was actually really hungry!" Ayano said, expressing her gratitude.

"Yeah, whatever...Don't mention it okay?" He murmured.

He then turned to start walking away, but Ayano stopped him.

"Actually, now that you're here, do you want to eat together?"

"I-I would love nothing more than..uh, I mean of course! I have nothing better to do anyway..."

"Okay then." Yan-Chan scooted over so that her new friend could have some room. He sat down beside her and took out his own bento. And it was at that moment that she decided, that Osano Najimi was alright.

Just then, a thought occurred to her. "Hey Osano, why _did_ you give me this bento?" Ayano voiced.

"Oh, well I just wanted to apologize for earlier, I...I didn't mean to be rude..it's just that, well, sometimes you just catch me off guard, and-"

"Could you repeat that again Osano-Kun? You whispered the last part."

"Argh! I just wanted to say sorry, okay? For being rude, I mean.."

Ayano thought about it for a few moments. She considered not forgiving him, but something told her that this was just how he was. Plus, if they were going to be friends, then what use would holding a grudge get her?

"Okay. I accept your apology."

And thus, the beginning of a new friendship blossomed, like sakura blossoms in Spring.

**To Be Continued...**

****

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tobiko: The tiny, orange, pearl-like balls that you put on sushi to add a crunch and salty taste to the dish.


	2. Sweet Nothings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After Osano gives her a bento, Ayano wants to return the favor for her only friend. But let's just say that this schoolgirl may encounter something much sweeter than a mere piece of cake...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter takes place right after the previous, I'll try to have the story continue like this from now on.

****

**[Ayano Aishi x Amao Odayaka]**

****

* _ **Ding**_ * 7:00 am - **(Osano)** _Hey Yan-chan, are you up yet?_

* _ **Ding**_ * 7:05 am - **(Osano)** _You said you wanted to walk to school together, but you forgot to mention what time you wanted me to show up at your house, dummy._

* _ **Ding**_ * 7:10 am - **(Osano)** _Don't get the wrong idea! I didn't wake up super early just for you, this just happens to be the time I naturally wake up at._

* _ **Ding**_ * 7:15 am - **(Osano)** _Did you fall asleep reading manga again? Jeez, you're hopeless._

* _ **Ding**_ * 7:25 am - **(Osano)** _Okay if you don't answer by 7:45 I'm going to break down your front door!_

* _ **Ding**_ * 7:30 - **(Osano)** _Wait, did you give me a wrong address? If you did you better have not done it on purpose, Baka! If you aren't out in 15 minutes, I'm leaving without you! :(_

 _That_ was the text that got her moving. She didn't give him the wrong address, she wasn't that evil. And she would've answered back at least once by now, it's just that she got a little bit sidetracked along the way. Several times in fact. Plus, he was right, she _had_ fallen asleep while reading manga, one that she had gotten with Osano himself, but that's neither here nor there. Ayano still isn't going to admit that to him.

For the first two texts, she had been fast asleep. It was the third one that woke her up, however, deciding to rest her eyes for a moment was not the best idea, dozing off once more. By the fifth text, she was fully awake, dressed, and fed, sitting on her bed reading the brand-new manga she had bought while hanging out with Osano yesterday. She thought it would be amusing to see him at her front door, yelling up a storm. But when she had read the most recent text, she felt a bit bad, to be honest. She didn't want her only friend to be upset with her, she didn't know what she would have done if that was the case, which was a totally foreign feeling for her.

He might have been bluffing, but she didn't want to take the risk, so grabbing her phone she responded to his text whilst walking out of her house.

7:32 - **(Ayano)** _I'm coming out right now. I'm sorry for making you wait, I'll try to make it up to you._

Just as he was reading the newest text from Ayano, Osano looked up to the sound of a door opening.

"Hey, let's get going, we don't want to be late," Yan-chan said apathetically.

Osano felt himself grow irritated with her at her seemingly emotionless response, he wasn't certain, but he just had to know.

"Were you ignoring me on purpose?!" He nearly screamed.

The school girl sighed. "Yes, I thought it would be funny, but now I see that I have genuinely distressed you, I won't do it again. I'll set an alarm so I can prevent both of us from being late from now on. I really am sorry Osano." She repented.

Osano felt taken aback for a few moments. He was shocked at how blunt and honest this girl was. He was not expecting her to admit that she was wrong so easily. The schoolboy found himself wanting to be near her, despite her almost dismissive nature at times. It confused him very much. No matter what she did, it seemed to further endear him to her. One thing was for certain, she was different in many ways, and he liked it a lot.

"Well fine! That's the first good idea you've had today."

The shorter girl smiled at him, making him blush. "So does that mean you forgive me Osano-Kun?" Ayano reiterated hopefully.

"Er..yeah whatever, let's just hurry up, we're going to be late because you're so slow!" He chastised.

"But Osano, we're walking at the same pace. If I'm slow doesn't that mean you are as well?" She innocently asked.

"Shut up Yan-chan!"

__

_After school..._

__

3:45 pm - **(Osano)** _So why did you have to stay after school again?_

3:46 pm - **(Ayano)** _I told you, I'm going to check out the Cooking Club, I was thinking about joining._

3:46 pm - **(Osano)** _Really? I didn't know you wanted to join a club._

3:47 pm - **(Ayano)** _Well it's not absolute. I'm not only checking out the Cooking Club, but it's also just the first one on the list of clubs. I doubt I'll end up picking it, those frilly aprons don't suit me anyway._

3:47 pm - **(Osano)** _I think you would look good in anything Yan-chan._

Yan-chan felt skeptical, yet happy. Would he say something like that and not mean it?

3:47 pm - **(Ayano)** _Oh, you really think that Osano?_

She waited a few minutes without any response, and just when she was about to put her phone away, he answered.

4:00 pm - **(Osano)** _Don't look into it too much, alright? It doesn't mean anything! I have to go okay, I'll see you tomorrow._

Ayano thought about texting back, but she didn't want to bother him. Also, she wanted to make sure the leader of the Cooking Club, Amao Odayaka, was still at school. The truth was, she wasn't interested in joining the Cooking Club, or any club for that matter. She wanted to make it up to Osano for making him mad this morning. And to thank him properly for giving her a bento the day before by returning the favor. She thought about making a homemade meal, but since she didn't have any money to buy ingredients or a job to make the money, her next best option was to use the cooking club's.

She had heard rumors about how friendly the leader was, usually from girls who gushed about his smile as he handed out his delicious octodogs during lunch. So she hoped that he would help her make something delicious for Osano, or at least let her use the kitchen. He never traveled up to the roof to hand out his finger foods, so she had never tried his cooking, but he was the leader, so she safely assumed he was a good chef.

Walking up to the door, checking the sign above it just to be certain that she had the right room, and entered.

Her nose was almost instantly bombarded by a myriad of pleasant aromas. Fresh strawberries, sweet frosting, and the rich, prominent scent of cheesecake.

The room she was in was divided into two, with a doorway on the side of the entrance wall. On one side there was a table with six chairs in total, presumably for the club leader and the other members, and a bookshelf, probably filled with cookbooks for various recipes. The other half held a quaint kitchen, bubblegum pink tile littering the floor, as well as other kitchen appliances in that same pink hue decorating the club room.

In the center of it all, was a brown-haired boy wearing a mint green apron, washing a small basket of strawberries in the small countersink.

He apparently heard the door open and said without turning around, "Oh! Perfect timing, would you help me decorate this cheesecake?"

"I believe you have the wrong person. I am not a part of this club. I'm looking for Amao Odayaka, do you happen to be him?"

He turned around to face her then, a slightly confuddled look on his delicate features at having mistaken her for someone else.

"Of course, you aren't Saki. Well since you aren't a club member, what are you doing here?" He stated, a serene upturn of his lips on his face.

"I was wondering if you could help me out with something." Ayano spoke, trying not to sound too optimistic.

He studied her for a moment, looking so at ease all the while.

"I'm afraid I can't do that," Amao softly pronounced, making her frown. She was sure he would say yes. Before she could ask why he declined, he added, "without knowing your name. If I'm going to be doing you a favor, I think it's best we be at least that familiar with each other." He laughed.

She thought it was weird that he made the choice to wait a few seconds to answer, having her breath hitch in anticipation. Taking care as to not sigh with relief in front of him, Ayano told him her name. "Ayano Aishi."

His eyes twinkled. "It's very nice to meet you Ayano. Now that we know each other by name, what can I do for you?" He asked kindly.

"I was hoping you could let me use your club room so that I can cook something for my friend. I figured that you wouldn't be too busy after school, so you wouldn't need it. But you clearly have something that needs to be done, so I'll just go now."

She meant to leave, but he gazed at her with his bright, light green eyes, tilting his head as he considered her proposal; Despite how approachable his demeanor was, she couldn't help but feel on edge with the way he kept delaying his responses. It made him predictable, but also unpredictable at the same time. Sure, he didn't know her, but a simple 'yes' or 'no' would suffice for an answer to her question, wouldn't it?

"Alright, I don't see why not. On one condition." He agreed.

Another deal? Ayano got the impression that this boy was a bargainer. One that got what he wanted a majority of the time.

"You stay here and help me decorate this cheesecake, in the end, I'll let you take a piece to give to your friend. Additionally, I get to spend more time with you and get to know you better, how does that sound?" Amao continued.

That last part puzzled her a bit. He wanted to get to know her? Hm, he most likely said that to every new person he met, perhaps it was just in his charismatic nature, he was very popular after all.

"Sounds like a plan."

"Splendid! Let's get started right away!"

The brunette continued to surprise her as he walked up and grabbed her hand, leading her over to the kitchen's island.

"You can put this frosting into a piping bag while I finish up slicing the strawberries."

 _Okay, that's not too hard._ Ayano thought as she looked at the bowl of white frosting.

To put it shortly, Ayano could not have been more wrong. Turns out, the bowl was much heavier than it looked, and the piping bag wouldn't say open long enough for her to pour the frosting in there. She attempted to use a spoon to make pouring it easier but ended up dropping it in the bowl. Internally groaning, she fished it out in agitation. Ayano subconsciously wiped a lock of hair that had fallen out of her ponytail.

As Amao finished rinsing out the fruit, he turned his head and noticed that she was having trouble, and went over to help her.

"Here, I'll help you."

He turned away from the sink, standing behind her, and held up his arm, holding the bowl.

She ignored the way her face heated up as the close proximity.

He held the bowl steady as she carefully poured the frosting in it.

"Thanks..." Ayano whispered.

He didn't respond, so she twisted her neck to look at him. He was smiling, but gazing at her while doing so. She returned his calming stare, ironically feeling the opposite.

"You have some frosting on your cheek."

The taller boy reached out and wiped away the confection with his thumb, simultaneously holding the side of her jaw. Instinctively, he started to caress her cheekbones.

_Surely the icing is gone now? Why is he continuing to touch me?_

"Is there anything else?" She asked softly.

"A little bit..." Amao spoke, as dulcet as ever. "Right...Here." Instead of gesturing to it with his fingers, he signaled with his eyes; looking down at her lips.

Regardless of her dubious approval of this treatment, Ayano saw no logical reason to move away. She had to get rid of that frosting somehow right? And this nice smelling boy was offering to do it for her. She concluded that he was a gentleman, through her short, but thorough analysis.

They seemed to be moving closer together, as his long, brown eyelashes appeared to be even more defined. From the way things were progressing, getting rid of the icing with his mouth was the route being taken.

It was an unconventional way to remove the frosting, but finding a new, inventive way of doing something was surely a positive thing.

Both of them leaned in, but before their lips could meet...

"Sorry I'm late Amao-san! I ran into someone who wanted to tag along!"

**To Be Continued...**

****

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The beginning of the chapter where there is mostly Osano x Ayano interaction is needed exposition. Build up for the Amao moments, you know? So, I apologize if you didn't like it.


	3. A Rose De-thorned

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alone on the roof at lunch after Osano, Ayano makes a new acquaintance in Kokona Haruka. After a few minutes of conversation, Ayano examines a maid costume that Kokona made for the Drama Club. She tries it on and the front completely rips open! Just in time for an irate Kizano to appear in her state of undress...

****

**[Ayano Aishi x Kizano Sunobu]**

****

The moment was lost sooner than it came. If one could even call it that since nothing happened. Ayano found herself slightly dissatisfied with how things turned out. What would have happened if Saki had walked in a few moments later? Oh well, nothing she could do about it now. It was one experiment that would have to be discarded.

Speaking of things she wanted to get rid of, the turquoise haired schoolgirl walked toward the two students, who were still very much too close to one another.

"Amao-san, who is this? Is she a new club member?" Saki Miyu questioned curiously.

"No, I'm not." Ayano dismissed, not elaborating further.

The social butterfly looked from Ayano to Amao, and a giddy smile spread across her peppy features. "Oh, I see! She's your girlfriend, isn't she Amao-senpai!"

Ayano stood there gobsmacked. It took all of her willpower to keep her on her straight face and prevent her jaw from dropping. Why would this girl assume such a thing if she had not seen either of them together before? Honestly, she barely even _knew_ Amao. She didn't even have a clue of what he looked like before that day. Clearly they were not-

Amao let out a chuckle, reminding her of his company. He _still_ had yet to move away from her person. Weirdly, he chose not to deny that they were _not_ seeing each other, so after Ayano regained her composure, she took that duty upon herself.

She cleared her throat. "Actually, we aren't. We just met, Amao here was just doing me a favor." Ayano insisted.

"Alright, if you say so..." Saki giggled.

Ayano internally facepalmed. She had a feeling that this incident would get out by the end of the week. The naïve popular girl would without a doubt tell all her friends that the good-looking club leader was taken.

Stepping away from Amao, Ayano turned to face the club leader, this time with a good amount of distance between them.

"Alright, thanks for letting me stay and help Amao-san, I think I'll be going soon."

Much to her chagrin, Saki just could not take a hint and spoke up.

"Well that's too bad, I wanted to talk to your new girlfriend Amao-san, see how she managed to charm _the_ Amao Odayaka." Saki tittered.

_Okay, I've had enough, if I have to spend another second in this girl's company someone is going to get stabbed._

Ayano plastered on a fake smile, "Right...Well, it was nice meeting you...?"

"Saki Miyu, but you can call me Saki-chan. Any girlfriend of Amao's is a friend of mine!"

_How many times is this girl going to bring up the fact that I'm his girlfriend? Even if I was, it's not that big of a deal._

Ayano said nothing more as she gave another imitation of a genuine smile, walking past Saki and her silent purple-haired companion.

Just as she was exiting the room, she heard Amao call out, "Until we meet again Ayano-chan!"

Ayano was too appalled to roll her eyes after that, but she was glad to be out of that awkward situation. She briefly wondered if they could tell she was actually faking being friendly but nixed that idea as soon as it came. She may not be the best when it came to socializing, but she put on a pretty decent act.

It was when she was exiting the school however when the apathetic girl realized she had forgotten to take a piece of the cheesecake in her haste to escape the incessant chatter of Saki Miyu. This, of course, made her resent the innocent yet annoying school girl even more though.

 _What is wrong with me today? I'm all over the place...I really need some sleep._ Ayano reflected.

__

_The next day..._

__

* _ **Ding**_ * 7:23 am - **(Osano)** _Don't wait up for me, I'm really sick._

As Ayano read the message, she sighed in a put out manner. This would be the first time in a couple of days that she wouldn't have her stubborn friend with her. She had thought it odd when she walked out of her house and her orange-haired classmate wasn't there waiting, but walking out into the street, started her leisurely walk to her school, made her realize how much she missed his presence.

Ayano reeled at the loneliness she felt. Before meeting Osano, she had been pretty much alone her whole life, becoming accustomed to it, so what was the reason for it?

Shaking her head, Ayano picked up her pace.

__

_At lunchtime..._

__

Ayano sat alone on the rooftop, temporarily returning to her lonely daily routine.

Holding her phone in her hands, her sad lunch forgotten right next to her, she swiped through all her photos, unsurprised to find that all of them contained her and her new friend.

Her stoic mask dropped when she came across a video of her, with Osano's voice in the background, an indication that he was the one holding the phone. In it, he was desperately trying to get her to smile at the camera, with her blatantly refusing. Behind her was a carboard standee of an anime character, a sign that this video was taken on the day they had met and decided to go to the manga store together.

Ayano briefly wondered if it was possible to get nostalgia over something that happened a couple of days ago.

Watching the video on repeat, Ayano failed to notice a girl with purple hair approaching her.

"Hi! You're Ayano right?"

Looking up from her seat on the bench, she saw a girl smiling at her, fingers twirling her twin drill hairstyle while holding her other hand behind her.

"Do I know you?" Ayano asked impatiently.

"That's right, you probably don't remember me. I was with my friend Saki yesterday at the Cooking Club, I wanted to talk to you, but you seemed pretty uncomfortable."

She had noticed? Well, she had been a bit off that day. Not to mention the sudden simpering questioning of the buxom girl's friend.

"Yes, your friend's assumptions were extremely incorrect and it was very tiresome to have to keep correcting her."

"Yeah, that's Saki for you. Once she has something on her mind, she just doesn't let it go."

When she said this, the girl was focused on something on seemingly nothing, and had a far off look on her face, as if she were in thought. Ayano proceeded to stare at her, waiting for her to continue. Coming to her senses, she turned back toward the girl with the black stockings.

"Anyways, I'm Kokona!" She said, happy-go-lucky demeanor returning.

Ayano let out a disinterested hum in response and returned to browsing through her camera roll.

"Um..would you like to eat lunch with me in the Drama Club room?" Kokona offered.

Containing her sigh, Ayano replied, "What did you say?"

"I asked if you wanted to eat in the Drama Club room with me. All of the members are either out running errands for our next meeting or eating lunch somewhere else. Plus, it would be a great chance to-

_Oh no, please don't say it._

"-get to know each other better!"

_ARGHHHH!_

What did a girl have to do to get some alone time around here? Summon a demon?

Not bothering to hold in her sigh this time, Ayano reluctantly agreed.

**~oOo~**

****

On the walk from the roof to the Drama Club, Ayano discovered that she did not find Kokona Haruka as aggravating as her cyan haired companion. In fact, they even exchanged small talk on the way there. They were by no means friends, as Ayano still thought she talked a bit much for her liking, but sensed that Kokona meant well.

During the duration of their conversation Ayano had found out a slew of facts about Kokona like she used to be a part of the Cooking Club, and that she wanted to say hello to Amao yesterday when she and Saki found her and said Cooking Club leader a little too close for comfort. It was also apparent that she was easily impressed, as whenever Ayano would make a sarcastic comment or joke, she would always genuinely laugh and tell her how funny she was.

Now Ayano did not have a big ego, but it felt nice to know that someone shared her dry sense of humor.

Eventually, the topic of joining the Drama club came up in the discussion.

"I feel like you'd be a great actress Yan-chan, you should join the Drama Club!"

"I'm not sure, isn't Kizano really strict about who joins?"

"Oh...right. Well, are you good at sewing? We could use someone who knows how to stitch a good costume." Kokona finished hopefully.

Ayano rifled through the costume rack, looking at the various options. The costumes certainly weren't that bad, but they could be better. "Yes, I suppose. If I was given a good concept with a blueprint, I might be able to make something."

Kokona clapped her hands together in excitement. "That's great! Our previous costume designer graduated last year and Kizano has been struggling to find a replacement."

As Kokona continued speaking Ayano held up a costume that stood out to her. The maid outfit was cute, there was no doubt about that, but something about it was off. It had an off loop topstitching on the hem. Normally this would be okay, but the material was low viscosity rayon; it was a miracle that the whole thing hadn't fallen apart.

"Kokona do you mind if I try this on?" Ayano blurted, cutting off Kokona mid-sentence.

"Oh that, sure! I made it myself pretty recently actually, no one's tried it on yet!"

Ayano tried her best not to cringe. Even though she barely knew the girl, she didn't want to hurt her feelings by telling her that her design was a total flop. She went behind the mini stage and started changing. Slipping the dress over her head proved to be a struggle, so she tried to slip into it from the neck down with great difficulty. After sliding her arms into the sleeves, the front half completely ripped open, exposing her chest. While she knew that the dress would fall apart, she didn't think it would happen so quickly!

Ayano gasped, just as Kokona questioned, "Well, how is it?"

She peaked her head around the stage, and her jaw dropped.

"Oh my gosh, Ayano I am so sorry!" Kokona kept apologizing profusely, all the while looking at the costume with regret and frustration. "I don't know how this happened! I spent hours making sure this dress was sturdy."

"It's fine Kokona, you just used the wrong material with this stitch. I can remake it for you when I have time. At least I still have my uniform."

For some reason, she wanted to make the crying girl in front of her feel better. She was slightly confused as to why she was so upset, but she felt the need to remedy the situation.

Kokona looked at her as if she had offered to make her an outfit out of the stars themselves. "Thank you so much, Ayano! You should probably hurry up and change back, Kizano's going to be back any-"

"Kokona, you better have my maid outfit ready for my inspection! The dress rehearsal is in three days after all!"

"-minute now..." Kokona finished meekly.

"Kokona, where is my maid outfit!"

Turning around, Ayano was face to face with a tall boy, purple hair swept off in a ponytail, held in place with a rose hair tie. He wore a red cape, making him, combined with the abundance of purple, look like royalty amongst peasants.

When he looked at her his eyes widened, not expecting to come face to face with a pretty, half-naked girl in his club room. Finding his voice, Kizano yelped, "Who are you?!" he turned his head to Kokona, "Who is she, and _why_ is she wearing the _ruined_ maid outfit I specifically told you I wanted to be _finished today. I_ only allow the _best_ into my club, you'll need to try a little harder, _darling._ "

He said the last sentence with contempt, mocking. Clearly disappointed with Kokona failing to meet his expectations. He proceeded to look down upon her acquaintance, his chin in the air, an air of superiority surrounding him; the kind, purple-haired girl looked down at her feet in shame. This caused anger for Kokona's behalf to arise in her. It wasn't her fault that the design was faulty. And who was he to look at Kokona like that? Just because everyone praised him for being an excellent actor, did not mean he could pretend as though he were any better than them.

"Calm down Sunobu, it's just a costume. Since the one Kokona made fell apart I offered to make a new one. Also, treat her with some respect. You may have been the one who decided to let her be in your little club, but she didn't _have_ to make your costume. Instead, try showing some _gratitude._ "

The pompous boy stared at her in shock. No one had ever dared to talk back to him. It made him feel like...an _equal._ People always put him on such a high pedestal that he began acting like he was treated. The line between reality and dramatic interpretation blurred quickly, the façade of this..this deity bestowed upon him hastily becoming part of his persona. The fact that she was so close to him in only her bra and skirt was not helping matters either. Who was this beautiful girl anyway? He could not take his eyes off her. Maybe he could ask Kokona about her, they seemed to be friends, by the way she was defending her.

"Be that as it may, you have _destroyed_ an item that officially belonged to the Drama Club, one which you aren't a part of. Take your clothes and go change somewhere else. Additionally, I expect the new maid costume in the next three days."

He turned away from her and addressed Kokona. "And _you,_ I'll be having a word with you Haruka." He ended with less disdain, taking on a neutral tone.

Ayano glanced at Kokona as she bent over to retrieve her uniform, not noticing the way a certain club leader followed the lines of her neck down to her breasts.

When she stood straight up, he wasn't looking at either of them, choosing to examine his cape and pull at its furs.

Ayano put a hand on Kokona's shoulder, giving it a squeeze. "I'll keep you up to date on the costume okay?" The girl with the tornado hairstyle lifted her head up, eyes glistening, offering a watery smile.

Hugging her clothes to her body, Ayano left the club room in a rush, not wanting to be late two times in one week, two pairs of eyes watching her go.

**To Be Continued...**

****

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That line about low viscosity rayon is from _Legally Blonde_ Btw
> 
> Also, Ayano knows how to sew because of the task you can do for Kokona when her uniform is too tight. Just a little headcanon of mine :)


	4. His Light in the Darkness

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> On her way to the rooftop, Ayano meets Oko Ruto, the mysterious Occult Club leader in an unconventional way... By dragging him into a storage closet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So sorry updates are so sporadic! I've just been swamped with school work, this COVID-19 thing hasn't been easy on me. I hope all of you stay safe, wherever you are since some countries have it worse than others. Please take care :)

****

**[Ayano Aishi x Oko Ruto]**

****

* **ERR ERR ERR ERR** *

* **ERR ERR ERR ERR** *

* **ERR ERR ERR ERR** *

Ayano groaned, blindly reaching out into the air to reach for the alarm that seemed to be blaring _**right next to her ear**_.

* **ERR ERR ERR ERR** *

* **ERR ERR E-** *

Finally hitting her target, Ayano drowsily lifted up her head, looking around the dark room, momentarily bewildered as to why she wasn't in her bedroom. After a few moments, it dawned on her that she dozed off in her basement.

Finding that she fell asleep in a sitting position, she placed her palms on the table to push herself up when she got a handful of fabric. She glanced down at her hands, discovering a half-finished maid costume she had been inadvertently using as a pillow. She smiled proudly at her progress, despite barely getting the recommended amount of sleep for her age range.

She briefly thought of Kokona, and how happy she'd be when she finally sees the end product. Ayano hoped that Kizano wasn't too harsh on Kokona for her mistake. The passive girl considered joining the Drama Club, for Kokona's sake. Additionally, _someone_ had to keep the haughty club leader in check.

Ayano got up and left her basement, simultaneously checking her phone for texts from Osano, wincing from the bright light her phone emitted.

There were none, meaning he was still sick.

Should she do something about it? Visit him perhaps? She never had a friend before him, so these types of practices were lost on her part.

Oh well, she'd do it anyway. Maybe she'd even do her homework over there and stay the night.

__

_At lunchtime..._

__

Ayano was making her usual route to the roof when she came across an unusual sight. Had she not been looking where she was going, she wouldn't have noticed a dark-haired boy carrying an ancient-looking leather-bound book walking down the hallway to her right. Normally she would have not taken this to mind, except that he was carrying a _knife_. It had numerous dips and ridges in the spine and cutting edge, giving it a wavy look. The narrow slit a couple of inches from the curved bolster was especially eye-catching.

Knives and weapons in general were strictly prohibited at Akademi. The Headmaster was a huge authoritarian when it came to the safety of his students. She had even heard talk of how he was considering implementing metal detectors. Not that she listened to gossip, she just thought that tidbit of info was interesting.

However, there was one rumor that has been confirmed true about the excessive amount of protection precautions being put in place since the start of the school year. Apparently, the Headmaster had allowed the student council to carry around bottles of pepper spray to compensate for the lack of metal detectors to use on the _students_ in case of extreme rule breakage. One of which included lugging around 'weapons' like tools used for certain clubs outside of each designated area per club.

At Akademi High, the student council members were notorious. Everyone either feared or revered them; sometimes both. There were four of them right now, but for some reason, their leader Megamo had to step out of school for a certain number of weeks. Now, their leader was intimidating on his own, but so were the council members. They were like a sort of holy quartet, patrolling their school.

You had Kuroko Kamenaga, the studious Vice President who was filling in for Megamo. Akane Toriyasu, an attractive redhead who used her charms to keep other students from misbehaving. Shiromi Torayoshi, the mysterious white-haired girl who always had her arms behind her head. And last but not least, there was Aoi Ryugoku, the vicious, one-eyed enforcer of the squad, who patrolled the halls and was the currently walking down the perpendicular corridor who would apprehend him for being in possession of a weapon if she didn't act fast.

Ayano didn't know _why_ this boy was openly holding a knife when the most aggressive student council member was known to patrol the halls, but she didn't care. She didn't believe anyone deserved to be peppered sprayed for no reason. He could very well be dangerous, but truth be told, she wanted to find out why he had such a bewitching looking knife. Making a split-second decision, she rushed forward and grabbed his hand, pulling him into a nearby storage closet.

When Ayano closed the door, the boy sputtered and started breathing heavily as she utilized the flashlight feature on her phone. "W-who are you? What do you want with me?"

"Ayano. Calm down, I just saw a student council member coming your way and I didn't want you to get in trouble."

"I-in trouble for what?"

Ayano raised an eyebrow. "For carrying around a knife, obviously."

The shy-looking boy looked down as if remembering that he had said knife in the first place. "O-oh this thing? No, don't worry this is for a club activity!"

Ayano narrowed her eyes and tilted her head to the side, the inky tendrils of hair not contained in her ponytail swaying. The only club she could think of that was allowed knives was the Cooking Club. "Oh really, and what club is this?"

"T-the Oc-"

Before he could answer fully, clunky footfalls and muttering could be heard from the other side of the door. Ayano placed her palm against the boy's mouth, waiting for Aoi to pass.

Suddenly, the footsteps halted right in front of the door. Then the turning of a doorknob resonated through the four walls...

Keeping her hand on the male student's mouth, she grabbed his hand, yanking him behind one of the numerous stacks of boxes, holding her breath. Peering through the space between the cardboard, Ayano saw the imposing figure of the invariably scowling student council member. She stood in the doorway for what felt like hours, staring into the darkness of the room. Taking her hand off the doorknob, Aoi gave the area a final once-over, placed her hands in her pockets, and left.

Ayano let out a exhale of relief and stood up to turn on the lights. The boy was blushing, and not meeting her eye. "Now that we're alone-"

The timid adolescent seemed to get more embarrassed by this.

"-you can finish what you were about to say in regards to that knife of yours."

"W-well it's for-"

Ayano decided to be nice to him, cutting his stuttering off with a chuckle. "Are you scared of me or something? Don't worry, I won't bite."

Despite the perfunctory attempts at putting the dark-haired boy at ease, he relaxed a bit. Clearing his throat, he answered, "Sorry...Anyway, this knife is for the Occult Club."

"Occult Club?" Ayano inquired, totally engrossed.

"Yeah, we focus on the paranormal and supernatural aspects of our world. I started it this year." He replied. Although the stuttering had ceased, he was still practically whispering.

"Sounds fascinating."

His head shot up in surprise. "Really? Usually, most people think it's strange and avoid us..."

"Well, I'm not most people. I've always had an affinity for the darker unknown." Ayano smirked.

"I don't normally do this sort of thing...but would you like to come to our club activity today?"

Ayano responded immediately. "I'd love to."

His face lit up with a smile, before turning to leave, he shyly asked, "You know where the club room is right? I mean, since you didn't know there was an Occult Club, I thought I'd check." before regretting it, realizing it made zero sense. If she didn't know the club existed how would she know where the club room is?

She shrugged. "I'll figure it out, don't worry."

Without another word, he rushed out of the storage closet, still flustered.

__

_After school..._

__

Oko Ruto was worried. _Really_ worried. His palms were sweaty, he kept getting distracted, his cheeks turned pink, and he was jumpier than normal. He had nearly smacked one of his club members in the face with a spellbook when they approached him asking to buy new cloaks for their rituals.

None of this was normal for him, so naturally, he came to one conclusion. He was under a love spell.

He didn't know who did this to him or why, but he couldn't stop thinking of Ayano, whom he met earlier. Her smooth, shiny black hair and intense gray irises were on his mind since the storage closet incident, but for some reason, he found that...he didn't mind the feelings this new revelation came with. After all, they did share a common interest so how bad could she be?

Speaking of Ayano, she was about to arrive any minute now for the club activity. He was scrambling around the club room, making sure everything was perfect, earning him some perturbed looks from his club members. None of them came over to talk to him about it, but that was okay with him. They weren't friends.

After dusting the skull that was placed on the altar for the third time, Oko was finally content. Putting on his robe he placed candles around the hexagram carpet but paused before he lit them. He considered waiting for Ayano to do this, just in case she wanted to take part in the ritual. While this summoning only required six people, he still held out so that she could feel included if she wanted.

Lighter still in hand, the sliding doors opened, letting light flood the dreary room.

 _She's actually here! Breathe Oko, breathe..._ He thought.

He hastily stood up, nearly dropping the cheap lighter in his gloved hand. Her expression was full of awe and rapture, her enchanting eyes going pewter without natural lighting, darting from one thing to another; the purple and jet-black tiles to the violet curtains and unlit candles.

She spotted the unused lighter in his hand and asked, "Do you mind if I...?"

"No, not at all!"

He handed it off to her, and she eagerly brought the candles aflame. He couldn't keep his eyes off her as the flames made her look so ethereal. So otherworldly. So... above him.

"So, I guess I'll just be over here then." She gave Oko a soft smile and he felt his heart skip a beat, leaving his side to go sit in one of the plush armchairs positioned in the corners.

Oko pleaded with his heart to stop pounding, lest his mind wanders to things other than summoning a demon.

He and his club members gather around the circumference of the candles kneeling and began chanting.

**~oOo~**

****

As expected, their ritual was a failure, but for some reason, Oko couldn't help but feel more dejected than normal about their most recent attempt, and that reason was walking towards him right this second. Clutching his spellbook, he braced himself for the inevitable.

"Sorry if you were disappointed, it usually doesn't work..." As he said this, he found himself staring in the floor. He couldn't bear to see the dismayed look on her pretty face.

"Wow...that was extremely engaging. I'd like to come to another one of your rituals, who knows, I might even consider joining the club." Ayano stated, a satisfied grin on her lips.

To say that he was shocked was an understatement. She actually wanted to come back? That would mean he would get to see her almost every day...

He began breathing heavily at the thought. "That would be nice. Maybe having another member will strengthen our chances of seeing a demon..."

"Alright then, sounds good." Just as she was finished speaking, Ayano noticed the spellbook in his hands and her demeanor animated exponentially.

"Is that a _real_ spellbook? I've never seen one in person before!"

"Yeah it is, well, I haven't actually been able to cast any spells successfully before but..."

His ramblings fell on deaf ears however, as she interjected, "Would it be alright if I take this home with me and take a look at it? Then when I give it back to you, we could talk about _really_ summoning a demon?"

Oko's lips parted before abruptly closing. He discreetly swallowed. Even if he wanted to deny her, he couldn't, not with the way she was looking at him. And the thought of seeing _and_ talking to her excited him to no end.

"Alright, just please be careful with it. I had to work hard to get my hands on that book..."

"You won't have to worry; I won't let anything happen to it! Well, I'll guess we'll see each other tomorrow then." She offered up one of her charming smiles and took the book from his hands. He could barely suppress the shiver that coursed through his system when their fingers brushed.

It was only five minutes after she had walked out of the door that he realized that he didn't even tell her his name.

**To Be Continued...**

****


	5. Athletic Blonds: Friend and Foe

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Going to visit Osano, Ayano gets saved from a cat-calling delinquent by a much more friendly blond in the form of Aso Rito.

**[Ayano Aishi x Aso Rito]**

****

Ayano was tired. _Very_ tired.

Now, the reason for this was that she was being chased by some people who she had ticked off, people who went to her school, and could not avoid the following week, and had been for the past six or seven minutes now. Normally she kept to herself and didn't get into any altercations with people, but this time had been unavoidable.

"You're gonna pay for that you _abazure_!" A voice yelled from a few feet behind her.

Her sides were aching from the physical exertion, and Ayano was starting to worry that she might collapse. She was nearly dumbfounded that her adversaries had managed to keep up with her thus far, seemingly not out of breath at all.

Ayano Aishi was many things, but she was not weak, nor was she stupid. She was completely capable of holding her own in a fight, but she would not try to take on five armed criminals when all she had was a tub of soup. Well...she _did_ have a tub of soup.

Turning right into an alleyway, she paused to catch her breath, for she could run no more, sweaty palms clutching her kneecaps. She was quickly regretting this decision, however, when the delinquents cornered her, slowly coming closer, like predators closing in on prey. She let go of her legs and slumped to the ground, clutching her thighs to her chest.

The delinquent in the middle whom she presumed was the leader stepped forward. The scar that ran diagonally through his eyebrow and ended just below his golden eye made her think of the kinds of weapons that could be used to make such an injury. Her gaze whizzed from the various tools that could very well be used to hurt her that each blond hoodlum clutched. The leader held a baseball bat, but she saw two of them that carried actual weapons, like a boken and a shinai. The final two also gripped improvised weapons, such as a pipe and a crowbar. They hadn't brandished the weapons out in the open, but now since they were protected in the shroud of darkness that the alley provided, they didn't hesitate to try to intimidate her with the sharp pieces of metal.

She glared defiantly up at the one she learned was called Umeji Kizuguchi through an amorous, yet highly unwanted conversation. She had to repress the shudder that wanted to escape as he put the end cap under her jaw in such a way that forced her to look straight at him.

"Did you think you could get away with what you did Aishi?" He chuckled cruelly and his cronies joined in.

Truthfully, she wasn't thinking clearly, which wasn't like her at all. For some reason, she'd been acting more out of character lately. But anyway, back to the matter at hand. Looking back at it, she probably could've handled the situation better, but the cocky blond was asking for it. She had to do something.

_A few minutes prior..._

__

Ayano trotted along the sidewalk at a leisurely pace, carrying a small Tupperware of chicken noodle soup, just like the one her mom used to make her when she was little. Balancing the plastic container under her arm, she took her phone out of her jean pocket and texted Osano (who was feeling slightly better) that she'd be over in about ten minutes.

Thankfully, with a free weekend and a sick friend to fuss over, she had a perfect reason to want to stay over for a couple of days. The backpack around her shoulders having everything she could need for her two-day stay; after looking up 'What to bring when staying over at a friend's house' online when the essentials were all packed.

While she was walking, she let her mind wander, having memorized the route to her friend's house after searching up the address he had told her he lived at. Having never had a 'sleepover', as her search results had dubbed 'staying over at a friend's place' Ayano impulsively shoved the spellbook Oko had let her borrow in front of her pajamas, wanting to show it to Osano.

Thinking of the dark-haired boy she had only met the previous, Ayano was reminded of the odd way their paths crossed. Her heartbeat sped up a bit at the thought of their close proximity and nearly getting caught...

She shook her head, forcing her mind to think of something else. Come to think of it, their close call had been a bit off, but Ayano dismissed that thought. After all, it had been Aoi. It was common knowledge that the eyepatch-wearing girl didn't exactly take her job as seriously as she could have. Megamo probably gave her permission to rough up students who weren't following the rules. She could have turned on the light, should have if she really suspected someone was in the storage closet, her visibility cut in half having only one eye to see from.

With that factoid on her mind, she didn't process right away that she had been catcalled from some blond boy leaning against gray metal bars placed around the perimeter of a house, him and his crew surrounding an old looking radio.

"Hey ponytail! Lookin' good,"

Ayano stopped a few moments after she heard that remark.

"Hm...?"

Her gray gaze landed on the slouching ruffian as he leered at her unabashedly.

"Were you talking to me?" She asked impassively, her raised eyebrow being the only sign that she was even remotely affected by the delinquent's advances.

"You bet I am," He smirked.

"Alright then, I'm not interested. You're simply not my type."

"Aw, c'mon, don't be like that. What's your name, beautiful?" He sniggered at her, kicking off against the wall and grabbing her arm a little more roughly than necessary. "I bet if you let me, I could show you a real good time."

"Ayano Aishi. As I have previously stated, I am not interested. Now let me go, you Neanderthal, I have somewhere to be." Ayano demanded.

"Please, the name's Umeji Kizuguchi," Unfortunately, the guy just wouldn't take a hint. "I'm sure it can wait. I can be quick if you want."

The look in his golden eyes was predatory, but she refused to be compliant. "Yes, I'm sure you're no stranger to _premature finishes_." Ayano bit back.

The retort was lost on him, however, as he replied, his grip on her forearm tightening slightly, "I knew you couldn't resist me."

She merely rolled her eyes, growing extremely tired of this conversation. "Let me go right now, or I'll make you regret it." Ayano glared.

"Actin' all tough now, I see." His lips downturned into a sneer while he said this.

"I'm about to get a hell of a lot tougher if you don't quit manhandling me!"

When he still withheld her arm, she took the heel of her sneaker and brought it down as hard as she could on his toes.

"Ah! _Kuso_!" He winced, clutching his foot.

Ayano tried to make a break for it but she wasn't quick enough, this time he yanked her towards him by her hair.

Barely suppressing a wince, Ayano ripped the lid off the Tupperware and dumped the still-hot broth all over the jerk's head. She thought about smacking him upside the head with the hard plastic but she didn't feel like wasting hydrogen peroxide on his blood. That, and it was four against one, and she was not a fan of those odds.

She seized her opportunity and started running down the sidewalk, the delinquents hot on her heels.

_Back to the present..._

__

Breathing heavily, she stood on wobbly legs, a defiant gleam in her ashen apertures.

_How am I going to get out of here? Osano will start to worry if I'm any later._

And, of course, that was the moment her phone started to vibrate.

The buzzing noise caught the attention of the boy nearly pinning her to the wall and with a show of speed, he reached behind her and snatched her phone. He gave his cronies a look, gesturing with his head to Ayano. Before she could react, two of them put their weapons away and stood in front of her, restraining her so she couldn't attack them.

He looked at the screen before turning his attention back to her. Who the fuck is 'Orange-haired Nuisance'? Umeji wondered, momentarily distracted by the odd contact name.

"Hm, five against one. This doesn't seem like a fair fight," A new voice called out.

Ayano and the five delinquents turned their attention to the mouth of the alleyway, where a tall, athletic-looking boy with goggles resting on his head stood, his muscled arms crossed over his chest. His blue eyes glaring at Umeji, who still had her phone.

"I suggest you let the lady go, and give her back her phone, or else," The newcomer threatened.

"Psh, or else what?" The scarred blond baited.

The tan boy surveyed his opponents, untied the jacket from around his waist, and made his move.

And then, everything happened in an instant.

The lech who hit on her suddenly got his baseball bat knocked out his hands. The other two delinquents who were just standing there came at the boy who attacked their leader, but they weren't quick enough; the goggled boy curled his fingers and drove his fist into their leader's nose.

The last two holding her down looked on, not knowing if they should help out or keep holding her down. Taking advantage of their dilemma, she kneed the one holding her legs in the crotch, making him double over. Realizing that she still held the empty Tupperware, she yanked her hand free, and brought the plastic down on his shoulder, bringing him down; making sure he couldn't grab her calves again.

Unfortunately, she forgot about the one next to her, who rammed her head against the brick wall behind her.

" _Ayano_!"

Concerned blue eyes filled her vision before everything went black.

****

**~oOo~**

****

Ayano woke up to a throbbing pain in the back of her head. She tried to get up but was met with a gentle hand nudging her back. Opening her eyes, blurry blond hair filled her peripherals, and her fight or flight kicked in. She groaned and tried to move once again.

"Woah! Slow down there! You're in no condition to start moving yet," A soothing voice offered.

Her vision slowly cleared, and a familiar set of blue eyes were looking into hers.

"Well the good news is you aren't bleeding, but the bad news is you might have a minor concussion, and I had to wait for you to wake up to find out."

She stared blankly at him as he raised his index finger up to her face. "Try to follow my finger,"

Ayano did as he asked, and he sighed in relief. "Okay, you're fine," He smiled softly at her. "I took care of those guys back there," He handed her back her slightly cracked phone with a wince, "Sorry about the collateral damage...I'll pay for a new screen protector if you want?"

Ayano shook her head. "I've got enough money to pay for it. Besides, I should be the one who owes you for saving me."

"Consider it my good deed for the day," And without hesitation, he took her hand and slowly helped her up.

"No really, I've got somewhere to be. Tell you what. Instead, you can escort me to my intended destination."

His smile stayed the same, but the cerulean of his eyes twinkled like stars.

_A couple minute walk and a conversation later..._

__

"Here's my stop," Ayano said almost regretfully as the two stopped in front of Osano's house.

"Alright well...I guess I'll see you at school," He concluded, handing over her backpack which he insisted he carries.

"I guess you will," She responded. Ayano held out her hand, waiting for him to take it.

He looked pleasantly surprised for a moment before taking her smaller hand in his, rubbing his thumb in small circles around her knuckles.

With his back turned he raised his arm up in a wave and called out, "You call me whenever your virtue is in danger again, alright Aishi?"

She rolled her eyes before simpering, "That's too bad, I was about to suggest I call you if I ever need help getting rid of it!"

 _That_ comment got his turn around, and Ayano laughed at the bewildered look on his face. She waved back and looked down at her phone to notify Osano that she was there, assuming that the flush that overtook Aso's face was due to the exertion of carrying her bag.

Putting her phone away, she looked up when she heard the front door opening, expecting Osano, but was nonplussed to see a girl with light-sunset orange hair containing two proverbial polka-dot scrunchies. She was looking in through the doorway, calling out her goodbyes to Osano.

The girl shut the door, humming happily while walking away.

Ayano nonchalantly picked up her bag, keeping one eye on the girl. She looked a lot like Osano, did he have a sister? He never mentioned having any siblings.

Just as she was getting lost in her thoughts, while they passed each other, the happy-go-lucky ginger _glared_ at her, which made Ayano nearly stop in her tracks.

Shaking her head, she kept walking and entered the house.

**To Be Continued...**

****

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Abazure: The Japanese word for bitch.
> 
> Kuso: The Japanese word for fuck.


	6. Pick Your Poison

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's just a normal day at Akademi High. In which Osano falls down some stairs, Ayano officially meets Raibaru and the cute new school nurse Mujo Kina, and someone gets poisoned!

**[Ayano Aishi x Mujo Kina]**

****

_At lunchtime..._

__

Ayano was upset. _Very_ upset.

The cause of her distress was currently sitting on the white linen covers that adorned a small hospital bed, trying not to look too contrite at her obvious agitation.

 _Damn it!_ Ayano thought angrily, pacing around the classroom-sized nurse's office. _Why do you have to be so stubborn Osano-Kun? If only you had listened to me, we wouldn't even be here!_

The incessant clacking sound of her shoes against the tile was enough to drive anyone mad, but the pumpkin-haired boy really didn't want to irritate his best friend any more than he already had. Instead, he crossed his arms and grumbled incoherently and let her stir. Surely, she'd wear herself out eventually.

Meanwhile, Ayano was having trouble keeping to herself. She really _really_ wanted to scream at her best friend for making her worry so much about his wellbeing.

What did Osano Najimi do to royally piss off his best friend? He insisted on going to school with a fever, and had thus fallen down some stairs due to a near-fainting spell caused by his chronic headaches! Needless to say, the only thing he'd gained from his pig-headedness was a broken hand.

He had been getting better when she went to visit him over on Saturday, but after Ayano stormed out after a petty fight they'd had regarding her choice in friends, she had been regrettably absent during his weekend relapse.

What a jerk, Oko was _not_ a weirdo and the Occult Club isn't full of freaks!

Finally, the silence got to them both as they spoke at the same time.

"I'm sorry-"

"You should've-!"

Osano hung his head in shame and sighed. "If you're going to yell at me, go ahead, I won't stop you. I get that I was wrong, I should've stayed at home longer..."

Ayano gave a slightly rueful grin, knowing that their recent discord was not entirely his fault, but regardless, she let him finish.

"And...?" She trailed off hopefully.

Her sanguine query was met with incoherent grumbling.

"Come on, just say it already. Please?" An unusual teasing lilt to her normally flat voice made him look up sharply.

Hopefully, he hadn't caught on to the fact that she knew he had a weakness for that word.

Osano groaned. "Fine! I promise to listen to you from now on! There, you happy?"

"Very, actually."

She bounded toward him, throwing his arms around her shoulders, and it seemed the tighter she hugged him, the more the tension leaked out of the atmosphere.

"I hated fighting with you, Osano-Kun. We're never doing it again."

Ayano pulled her head back, staring at her best friend as she said this; their faces only inches apart.

Osano spluttered, face burning up, and pushed her back onto the parallel nursing mattress.

"Q-quit it! You're going to get sick to when you're so close..."

"Sorry, I forgot for a second," she sheepishly admitted.

A comfortable silence settled upon the two teenagers, but before either of them could say another word, a pink-haired man wearing a white nurse's uniform beat them to it.

"Here it is! Wow this school is big..." He whispered to himself as he entered the room from the farther set of doors on the left, oblivious to their presence.

"It's about time! We're already late for class!" Osano proclaimed, glaring daggers at the late arrival.

Ayano rolled her eyes. "You won't be allowed to go anywhere with a fever, Osano."

He sharply turned his attention back to his friend. "Nevertheless, the least he could do is give me a splint for my hand!"

The ebony-haired girl slapped his shoulder. "Be nice, he's obviously new here, baka."

"That's my line!"

Unbeknownst to the two students, their bickering that had slowly but steadily increased in volume caught the attention of the naïve caregiver.

"Oh gosh, I've gone and done it again! That's the third time yet someone's come in for help and I failed to notice..." The man quietly admonished to himself. He approached them hurriedly, interrupting what looked to be a heated discussion. "Hello! So sorry for the wait, I'm Nurse Kina, how can I help you?"

"Nice to meet you Nurse Kina, my friend here has a broken hand a-"

-and fever is what she would have said had her exasperating best friend not just decided to discreetly _pinch her leg_.

"A broken hand! Just a broken hand!"

Unfortunately, Ayano had been too busy trying not to look like a weirdo by randomly cutting herself off in the middle of a sentence that she let Osano lie about his condition. She gritted her teeth. Did they not just have a talk about how he would listen to her from now on? Gosh, out of everyone at Akademi why did she have to get a best friend that was so _stubborn_? Did he not care about his health at all?!

"Alright, I'll have a splint made for you in no time!" Nurse Kina said with a smile.

Suddenly, the pretty, happy-go-lucky nurse turned towards her. "And can I get you anything? Perhaps a glass of water?"

Stunned, Ayano agreed. She'd thought that he'd ask her to leave, go back to class since he was here now. Oh well, no matter now. She'd stay if allowed. Ayano wanted to give her companion an earful for not getting treatment.

Contemplating what words to say whilst berating Osano, Ayano began to pace once more. She didn't feel comfortable just standing around, not right now. Not when she could have moved instead of freezing up when he stumbled... God, was this her fault? Maybe if she hadn't insisted on leaving then she could have looked after him better. Maybe if she hadn't distracted him with her nagging, he could've caught the railing in time! Maybe-

…

Why was she looking at the ceiling? And why was her shirt wet?

At that moment, time appeared to pause. At that moment Ayano stopped chastising herself for Osano's injuries. Because at that moment Nurse Kina was laying on top of her, paper cup splayed horizontally across her chest.

"I'm so sorry! How did we end up like this? Here! Let me help you up!"

Taking his proffered hand as a silent gesture of forgiveness, Ayano shrugged. "I can just change into my gym uniform." In all honesty, she was just glad that it hadn't been enough water to make her shirt go transparent. Flashing her best friend _and_ the new cute nurse was in no way on her to-do list.

Still not satisfied with her acceptance, Nurse Kina dug into one of his shirt pockets and held out a red lollipop, the color not too far off from his face.

 _Huh, this medic seems to be full of surprises._ Ayano mused.

At her amused/baffled expression he quickly explained. "I work part-time at an elementary school..."

The stoic girl grinned, grasping at the candy. "Well you should start handing out these things here too, I'll just have to stop by more often if you do."

Neither of them noticed Osano silently fuming just a few feet away.

**~oOo~**

****

As Nurse Kina finished applying the brace to Osano's hand and left to go find the restroom, the doors to the Nurse's office breached, staying that way as another person entered; plowing towards the atypically silent boy, swathing her arms around his neck like a boa constrictor.

"Osano-Kun! I'm so glad you're alright! If you were with me this wouldn't have happened..."

Now, if she hadn't been paying attention she wouldn't have noticed, but Ayano could've sworn that she'd seen this girl before.

Once it became clear that the girl wouldn't be letting go anytime soon, Osano grabbed her shoulders and abruptly removed the girl's hands from his torso. Ayano would never admit this, but she felt slightly smug when he didn't come up blushing like he did when she hugged him.

"Hello, Raibaru..."

The lack of a suffix didn't escape either girls' notice.

"So you're Raibaru huh? It's nice to meet one of Osano-Kun's friends."

Raibaru startled at the mention of her name and turned toward Ayano as if noticing her for the first time.

Her smile turned disingenuous, only slightly faltering.

"Ah, you must be the infamous Ayano...Osano-Kun talks about you _all the time_." Raibaru grit out, teeth clenched.

"Hm, can't say the same about you," She chuckled, smirking internally whilst watching the other girl's eye twitch.

"Oh, we've known each other since we were kids! In fact, I'd even go as far as to say that we're _best friends_."

_Hell no, this bitch did **not** just insinuate-_

"Funny we've never met before today then, although it _is_ understandable since he spends most of his time with _me_ nowadays."

Throughout the entire exchange, Osano looked on silently from the metaphorical sidelines, extremely bewildered that his best and oldest friend were (fighting over him?) _oh what he'd give for that to be the case with Ayano_ (trying to assert dominance as alpha female?) being a bit possessive if he was correct.

He'd expect this from Raibaru, ever since they were little she had always been a tad more clingy than normal, which had sadly caused them to grow apart over the years, amongst other factors, but Ayano? She didn't seem like the type...but what did he know? She was the most aloof person he knew...

...did he dare hope that there was even the slightest chance that she could feel something for him too?

Meanwhile, Ayano was thinking about the same thing. The sudden protectiveness (at least that's what she _thought_ it was) for Osano hit her like a baseball bat to the back of the head. Frankly, she didn't care that Osano had other friends, but there was something... _off_ about this girl. Her intuition had never failed her before, and thus the persona switch. And in all honesty, Osano was her first friend, and the Aishi girl abhorred the possibility of him being taken away by the gender-bent, much more migraine-inducing version of himself.

Slate gray eyes met tangerine orange in an intense staredown, every second that passed felt like an hour. The tension in the antiseptic-smelling room nearly palpable enough to cut with a scalpel.

The two female students seemed to have an entire barter with just their body language for communication, all the while not even blinking.

 _Osano is **mine** kisama yariman, back the eff off!_ The Fumetsu scion narrowed her eyes imperceptibly.

 _There is no fucking way I'm letting this Osano rip-off surpass me in_ anything, _let alone a staring contest..._ Ayano casually leaned her head against Osano's shoulder, mentally celebrating when Raibaru's fists clenched ivory.

 _I can do this all day._ Raibaru seemed to convene.

 _So can I._ Ayano mused.

Much to the chagrin of the clashing females, neither of them lost, as another person joined them, breaking their focus.

_Never thought I'd be this relieved to see him. On the plus side, I can finally blink..._

The garish pink and orange color scheme started to hurt her eyes. (It suited Osano, but for some reason, it was like gazing into the sun with her.)

Amao Odayaka strode confidently into the room teeming with turbulent estrogen, carrying a plate of dango, making his usual lunchtime rounds of giving away samples of his cooking. He swept his gaze from Ayano, whom he gave a small, though very friendly close-mouthed smile, to Raibaru, and that grin faded, morphing into a small frown. His eyebrows furrowed in understanding. He discreetly took out a napkin and put one of the stick-holding sweets in his pocket. The other sibling looking students were too distracted to notice the new addition completely.

Sooner than it left his easygoing smile was once again present.

"Greetings Yan-Chan, it's been quite some time since we've last seen each other. Would you like some dango?"

Ayano's lips quirked upwards in a thankful manner. "I'd love some Amao-Kun, thanks."

During the transaction of handing the dumplings off to her, Amao took hold of her wrist, pulling her close. "I made them especially for you, Yan-Chan, I know they're your favorite," he whispered.

She colored similarly to the red shiso dyed rice flour as she responded, "How did you know that?"

He pulled away from a tad and chuckled slightly. "Saki-Chan stopped by earlier and helped me prepare them. Apparently Kokona told her it was your favorite. She claimed she wanted to help me impress you, being my 'girlfriend' and all."

Ayano failed to notice how Osano's head snapped up during his until-then subtle eavesdropping of their conversation.

She'd forgotten about that, with everything else that happened last week. As her purple-haired friend told her, Saki had refused to move on from her revelation about her club leader and his new girlfriend's 'budding romance'.

_Damn social butterflies, always so...nice._

Well, she supposed she couldn't fault Kokona for this. She probably didn't know the extent of Saki's intentions when she filled her in on Ayano's dessert preference. After all, she really needed it after the way her day was going.

Speaking of Kokona, she hadn't heard much from her after Ayano gave her the finished maid costume, aside from the few texts they'd sent over the weekend. Even then she seemed a bit distant. Ayano made a mental note to find her later that day and catch up with her; see what was going on in her life. Ayano committed to being more social after befriending Osano-baka, it was only fitting she be there if her new friend was going through something.

A minute clearing of a throat caught Ayano and Amao's attention. They both turned towards the other occupants with recognition.

"When you two are done making eyes at each other, we'd like some dango please," Osano grumbled out.

Regaining her bearings, Ayano noticed once again that she and the Odayaka male were in each other's personal bubble.

Unperturbed, Amao responded. "Of course, sorry about that! I just completely lose myself when I'm with Yan-Chan."

At this admission, Osano appeared to be a bit ticked off and was badly trying to hide it. On the other hand, Raibaru looked positively giddy at the prospect of having Osano-Kun all to herself now that this brunet boy had shown up.

Reaching down on the tray, Amao pretended to look surprised with convincing execution. "Oh dear, it looks like there's only one left! Hm, we shouldn't let it go to waste, here you go!" He gave away the outwardly last stick of dessert to Osano, leaving a put-out Raibaru pouting. She displayed a pleading look on her reluctant companion.

"Fine! You can share mine..." Osano exclaimed.

Raibaru let out a shrill shriek reminiscent of a reply. "Thank you! You're so nice Osano-Kun!"

While Raibaru busied herself with fussing over her friend, Amao clutched Ayano's arm and turned her around so that they faced the opposite wall. The girl in question raised an eyebrow at him for his actions but was pleasantly startled when he pulled out another serviette encased stake of dango was presented to her.

"I figured you deserve it more." Amao winked.

"Oh...thank you Amao-Kun." Ayano smiled shyly.

At first, nothing seemed amiss as she took a few bites of the sweet; Amao looked on hopefully, awaiting her verdict of his performance. But when she swallowed her stomach twisted something fierce. Small rumbling sounds arose from within her abdomen. Ayano resisted the urge to gag as saliva filled her mouth. She clutched both arms to her middle, letting the dango drop to the floor.

"Yan-chan what's wrong?!" Amao exclaimed nervously.

"What did you do to her!?" Osano screamed.

Nearly doubling over, Ayano trudged her way over to the nearest trash can before succumbing to the buckling of her knees. Her fingers grasped at the cheap plastic, sliding along the material at having nothing to latch onto. She emptied the contents of her insides, which wasn't that much to begin with. Feeling lightheaded, Ayano reprimanded herself on not eating more that day. Desperately trying to stay conscious, she could just make out the sound of voices surrounding her. Eventually, it all faded into white noise.

" _My goodness what happened here_?!" Said a voice that sounded like Mujo.

Out of nowhere a strong pair of arms went around her knees, lifted her up, and began carrying her across the room. The last thing she saw prior to blacking out were halos of pink, orange and brown.

**To Be Continued...**

****

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kisama: The rude Japanese pronoun to 'you'.
> 
> Yariman: The crude Japanese way of saying slut. Only used to describe girls.
> 
> Dango: A Japanese dumpling sweet made from mochiko, related to mochi. Usually served with green tea. (The ones Amao hand out are specifically Hanami dango.)


	7. Lukewarm for Teacher

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bad things keep happening to Ayano's friends, and the source of them is none other than Musume Ronshaku. What can Ayano do?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is dedicated to laurlovescookies who requested more Oko!

**[Ayano Aishi x Mido Rana]**

****

**(Unknown Number)** _So I trust everything went according to plan?_

**(Unknown Number) _Better than I'd hoped, that emetic poison worked like a charm._**

**(Unknown Number)** _Be careful with what you say over the phone, you better not get us into trouble with your blasé mannerisms; you know what will happen if you do._

**(Unknown Number) _Calm down Info-chan, this isn't my first rodeo, I know what is and what isn't too incriminating. Speaking of, I didn't get your new anonymous number at the beginning of this conversation, you know how much I hate waiting._**

**(Unknown Number)** _My my, so impatient. You are in no position to be making more demands from me, but I'll let it slide since I'm aware it's because you're so testy about the harm that had to come to your precious Yan-chan._

**(Unknown Number) _I had to make sure you weren't lying to me about what kind of toxicant you inserted into that dango. I was lucky that all of those idiots were so worried about her to not have noticed me watching all of it unfold. How did you manage to ensure that Odayaka gave her the poisoned stick and not to anyone else?_**

**(Unknown Number)** _I have my ways. And I would never let any lethal harm come to Aishi, as long as you do what I say, not when she's the only thing that makes you tick. You are my number one supplier of panty shots after all..._

The mystery student sighed.

**(Unknown Number) _Who is it going to be this time?_**

**(Unknown Number)** _Hm, how about Musume Ronshaku? And take a few, she's been in high demand recently._

**(Unknown Number) On it.**

As smoke from Akademi High's furnace ascended into the atmosphere, signaling the burning of a prepaid cellular and an unmarked bottle of emetic liquid, the mystery student unlocked their phone to a single text message from another random number, without a doubt from his accomplice, and a background of one Ayano Aishi, fast asleep in her bedroom.

"Sooner or later Ayano, you will be mine. I'll wait as long as it takes..."

****

**~oOo~**

****

Waking up that day, Ayano Aishi had no idea that getting food poisoning would be the least distressing thing to happen to her during her high school years.

Receiving a text from her best friend telling her that he couldn't walk with her to school for the day ticked Ayano off a bit, but it wasn't that big of a deal, they always had tomorrow, after all.

To say Ayano was surprised to see Kokona at her doorstep was an understatement. The last time they had contact was a few days ago over minorly standoffish texts, and most of them weren't even sent on her end, which was concerning in its own right.

The first incident happened that morning.

She had been meaning to check in with her bubbly friend, but with everything that's been going on in her life on top of school, she just couldn't find the time.

The guilt that plagued her mind made the bile rise up into her throat akin to yesterday's incident.

Oh well, there was nothing she could do to change it now except try to be a better friend.

With that goal in mind, Ayano nearly walked smack into her purple-haired friend's fist, poised to knock.

Kokona awkwardly cleared her throat. "Hey, sorry for texting you so early but I needed someone to talk to. Can we walk to school together?"

Without a second thought, she replied, "Of course."

As the duo made their way to school, Ayano couldn't help but think her luck was starting to turn around. Getting food poisoning wasn't fun, and neither was getting ditched by her best friend last minute for someone else, but having someone else to rely on instead of no one at all was quite...fortifying, for lack of knowing a better term to describe it. Some would call it tragic that she wasn't aware of this until recently.

They walked on in silence, but to Ayano's dismay, it wasn't the comfortable sort that they had established early on. The stillness was stifling, and for the first time in her life, she felt abject of her less-than-stellar social skills. Perhaps if she were friendlier then her only female friend would be more willing to open up to her.

Unbeknownst to the steel-eyed student, the girl parallel to her was slowly but surely preparing herself to speak. She had told only Saki about her issues, and it didn't go well. Kokona could only pray that things would be different with the polar opposite of her "best friend".

Suddenly, a ringing permeated the air, and Kokona internally panicked.

 _Please let it be someone else,_ she begged as she looked at her phone screen. It psychically hurts her eyes with the effort it takes to hold back her tears.

 _God, why now?_ She just _had_ to get a call when she was on her way to school. Alone. In the middle of the street. With another person.

She literally couldn't afford to ignore him, so she answers.

"Hello~" The honey Kokona coats her voice in is more reminiscent of bittermelon as she struggles to keep herself from screaming to _not call her when she's on her way to school_. The potential cash she could lose from being rude keeps her silent. She really doesn't want to alarm the girl next to her any more than she probably already is.

Beside her, Ayano pondered why Kokona had looked like she was about to cry before answering her phone, nearly missing how alarming the next words that spilled out of her mouth would be without context...too bad she had none of that then.

"...like I said that was a one-time thing! I don't wanna do that again!"

Kokona stops dead in her tracks, and it takes a moment for Ayano to realize her friend wasn't next to her anymore.

"H-how much did you say..? Well..if it's just one more time..then I guess it's okay. How about tonight, where we met last time? In Shisuta Town? Okay then, I'll see you tonight..."

Before she can say another word, she's being embraced, her back is being rubbed gently, more so than she ever thought possible of her stoic friend.

"It's okay...you don't have to tell me anything if you don't want to. Just know I'll be here if you ever decide to."

The words were simple, concise, but just what she needed to hear.

****

**~oOo~**

****

The second incident happened at lunchtime.

At first, she isn't sure what she's seeing, other than the red staining the corners of her vision.

There, in Class 2-2, is her friend Oko covered in some sort of white powder pitifully scrubbing away at horrible graffiti messages and slurs littering his desk and avoiding her gaze. He pauses his motions to acknowledge her before going back to trying to clean up the mess with the dirty rag.

" _Who did this to you_?!"

She's never been this livid before, not when Osano stubbornly went to school despite knowing he was still sick, not even when her parents left her all alone to go on a ten-week vacation to America for seemingly no reason.

"I-it's no big deal, it was probably j-just a one-time t-thing anyway..."

"That's not an answer Oko, tell me who did this to you."

He drops the cloth and brings his hands up to his chest, fiddling with his fingers nervously, hesitantly.

_Calm down, you're just making him more anxious._

Ayano's tone softens. "I won't do anything to them psychically, just tell me who they are, if only for my peace of mind, please?"

That wasn't very reassuring, but even if he wanted to he couldn't deny her anything. He was just embarrassed that he had been caught doing something like this. The fact that Oko was even a target for this kind of treatment should be enough of a warning sign that he wasn't a person someone like Ayano Aishi should be hanging around.

If he told her who was doing this to him then she would probably stop talking to him and realize that she was too good for him right? The wealthy blonde girl in question was considered highly trustworthy amongst the student body, wasn't she...

"Mu-Musume Ronshaku..."

A few moments of silence pass by, Oko looks up at his first real friend for the first time since she entered his classroom.

Ayano's lips are pressed into a thin, firm line as she grits out the words, "And her friends too?"

He nods, silent.

Without another word, Ayano walks over to him, takes the ink-stained material out of his hands, takes out two clean towels, and hands one to him. She dips hers into the small bucket of soapy water on the next desk over and starts scrubbing away furiously at the largest message on the wooden surface. The menacing letters of _**Kill yourself**_ disappearing quickly under Ayano's hands.

Oko watches on in awe at her kindness, the sheer vengeful energy emitting from her person in waves, all for him.

He doesn't even get a chance to lower his hands before she's finished cleaning away every insult and death threat. Grabbing his hand, she practically drags him into the nearest bathroom. He's so stunned that it takes him a few minutes to say anything.

"Wait! This is the boy's bathroom; y-you aren't supposed to be-"

Ayano gently presses her index finger to his lips. Heat spreads from that spot outward, and he's glad his face is coated in chalk, praying it covers up his blush.

She puts her hand under the tap and playfully flicks her wet fingers at his face, her melodious laughter bounces off the linoleum. His light purple eyes widen.

"Oh hush, the least I can do is help you clean up, but I'm not just going to do that. What kind of friend would I be if I didn't do all I could for you?"

Taking a paper towel from the dispenser, she dampens it and brings it to his cheeks.

He convinces himself the cold water helps abate the burn that is spreading from her being this close.

Tossing the paper towel in the trash, she turns back to Oko with a small smile.

"Now it's time to take care of your uniform," Ayano gestures to his black shirt, also covered in white mineral. She brushes off tiny increments. "And your hair." Threading her fingers through his dark locks, she shakes out as much chalk as she can.

She grabs his hand and leads him out of the bathroom. "W-where-"

"The locker room, you can change into your gym clothes and rinse out your hair there. We should have just enough time to go there and get back for class."

She holds his hand the entire way there, not noticing the dark eyes that follow her every move.

****

**~oOo~**

****

The third incident happened after school.

Like earlier that day, she finds Kokona at her door, except this time, her friend is sobbing her eyes out. Face red and blotchy, her uniform askew. Ayano has her suspicions of where her friend had just been, but now was not the time to pry.

Feeling a sense of déjà vu, she pulls Kokona into another hug, but this time, the waterfall of tears doesn't stop. She leads her into the living room, silently handing her a tissue box.

"Stay here, I'll go make us some tea, alright?" Ayano says softly.

Kokona sniffs. "Can you make green tea please?"

"Of course," Ayano replied with a small smile.

After the tea is finished brewing and poured into cups, she walks back over to her now thankfully not crying friend, and hands one to her.

The purple-haired girl inhales shakily. "Someone...saw me...in Shisuta Town..."

Ayano lays a hand on her friend's shoulder to encourage her to continue. "...Doing what?"

"O-on a date...with an older guy...I think they saw him hand me money too... A-and I know how this sounds! I-I'm doing it for a reason, I swear just please listen before you judge me..."

She would've never done something like that, but still, she says nothing and waits for Kokona's explanation.

"Before I tell you anything else, have you been online recently?"

Ayano shakes her head no, furrowing her brows. She doesn't spend too much time on social media anyway, and Kokona looks relieved at this fact.

"Good...I'm the first to tell you...I've been letting older guys give me money to go on dates with them to help my father pay off his debts. He owes a large sum of money to Ronshaku loans, and he's really struggling to come up with enough yen...Anyway..someone from school saw me and took a picture, and I'm scared to think about what they might do with it!"

Ayano processes the information her friend relayed to her as said friend blows her nose next to her.

"Well...we can't be sure until we check right? Let's be certain first before we decide what to do next okay? My computer's in my room, and we can get you out of your uniform into something else."

…

As the two enter her room Ayano notices that her window and underwear drawer are open, but shrugs it off. She probably forgot to close them this morning. Randomly grabbing at a hanger, she tosses it over to her friend.

A few seconds pass by...

"I did not foresee this happening even though I should have..." Ayano admits.

For the first time in forever, Kokona laughs brightly as she struggles to pull the _Magical Girl Pretty Miyuki_ hoodie over her larger chest. "I'll just leave some clothes here when I decide to stay over! I'll probably be doing that a lot more anyway." Her tone turns somber subtly as she remembers her dad reeking of alcohol, coming into her room, and breaking down-

"You're practically screaming your thoughts, c'mon let's see if anything's happening right now."

Logging into her account on Akademi High's social media site, Ayano checks her timeline, only to find nothing.

"Alright, so far so good..." Mumbled Kokona. "Oh, you have a bunch of friend requests."

Fixating her attention on the upper right corner of her screen, lo and behold, there were several familiar faces among the profile pictures, including Osano, Amao, Oko, and Kokona herself to name a few. She absentmindedly clicks the 'Accept All' button when she notices one name, a name that seemed to be the source of her friends' issues.

Musume Ronshaku.

Ayano notices that she got requests from Musume's colorful clones as well, all with faker attitudes than their spray tans, she didn't regret adding them though, being able to keep an eye on their pages might be useful to her in the future.

"Huh, I wonder what that's about. I've never even spoken to those girls before. Are you thinking what I'm thinking Kokona?"

The schoolgirls look at each other, and Ayano clicks on the blonde's profile. Her fingertips clench around the mouse as they both saw The Post.

Musume Ronshaku: **OMG one of my sources just told me that Kokona Haruka was found in Shisuta Town on a date with an older guy! And she was getting paid!**

Kashiko Murasaki: **lmao the tramp was too busy being groped to notice me taking a picture!**

Hana Daidaiyama: **i always knew she was a slut, i bet this is just the tip of the iceberg**

Kokoro Momoiro: **seriously? what a whore**

Hoshiko Mizudori: **LOL this is sooooo going on my blog**

Well, at least they knew who the culprit was now...

"Oh my god, Kokona are you okay?! That guy didn't hurt you, did he?!"

"No...I pepper-sprayed him before he could do much other than rumple my shirt. I definitely lost a client today..."

Indignation flared within her at the fact that her friend even had to worry about things like this. Debts, and having to sell herself to pay those debts. She felt a little helpless, to be honest, all her life up until recently, Ayano's only had to worry about her and her only, but the number of people slowly working their way into her heart was a bit overwhelming.

"We don't have to worry about how to deal with this right now. Would you like to watch anime instead? I have some leftover anmitsu if you want some."

Kokona smiles.

**~oOo~**

****

There's so much going through her mind that the other students around her aren't even a blip on her radar. She doesn't filter the seemingly endless stream of gossip that waterfalls its way out of their mouths, so it comes as a huge surprise to her when an unfamiliar teacher confidently strolls intro Class 2-1. For a moment, Ayano wonders if she has the wrong room.

" _Oh my god, he's even hotter in person_!" Hana Daidaiyama whispers excitedly to her, and Ayano has to stop herself from sneering.

_Why the hell is she talking to me?_

She's about to put aside her resentment towards the girl to ask if she knows anything about this mysterious man when he clears his throat, gathering the attention of the entire room effortlessly.

"Hello class, my name is Mido Rana and I'll be your substitute today." He gestures to himself by pressing a hand to his bare chest, halfway unbuttoned shirt tight-fitting.

Next to her, Hana is practically swooning while Ayano idly wonders if that shirt is against the dress code.

"I'll start by taking attendance... Let's see, Ayano Aishi?" He reads off a clipboard.

Being the only one in the room barely paying any attention, she half-heartedly raises her left hand whilst twirling her pencil in her other.

"Present..."

Staring off into space, she misses the way his eyes linger on her.

Throughout the rest of the lesson her head is up in the clouds, and the new teacher takes notice, as more often than not she is put on the spot and forced to answer questions. She gives them thought and gets every single one correct sure, but it's happening so often that her classmates are starting to take notice.

 _She_ even starts noticing eventually, admittedly it does take a folded-up note passed to her by Raibaru. She nudges her arm so aggressively with the paper that it cuts her, nearly breaking her pencil when she feels the skin tear. Turning to glare at the obnoxious orange leech, she doesn't get the chance to tell her to knock it off before the note is shoved into her hand.

 **Are you okay?** It reads, **You seem really out of it, wanna talk later?**

Looking to her left, she sees her best friend looking at her imploringly. Ayano sends him a grateful smile and looks down to respond on the other side of the paper, failing to catch his blush. Scanning the room, Rana-sensei is nowhere in sight, taking that as a good sign, she forms her reply.

**Yes, I have been feeling quite down lately. We haven't been spending as much time together recently, I'd like to rectify that. How about we-**

"Ahem, passing notes in my class is strictly prohibited. I expect all of my students' attention to be _on me_."

She feels Rana-sensei's presence behind her, breath tickling her ear, his scent something indescribably masculine.

_Does he have to be this close?_

His long, slender fingers pick up the note she was about to pass to Raibaru.

"See me after class Miss Aishi," And that's the end of it, it should have been.

Except it wasn't, not for a few more agonizing seconds anyhow. All of her classmates' attention was now on her since their damn ikemen of a substitute decided to put the spotlight on them. This is her first time getting in trouble too, she tried her best not to stand out, and all that effort went down the drain. Not just at that moment either, it seemed like each day of her second year she was getting yanked another inch out of the shadows, and Ayano has no idea how to feel about it.

The end of class does not go the way she expects, which maybe she should have expected? She is fully prepared to be scolded, apologize, and bow respectfully before going on her merry way. She does not foresee being confronted about her problems.

"Is there anything you would like to talk about Miss Aishi?"

"...What do you mean Rana-sensei?"

"I realize that this may come off as rather invasive, but I happened to catch a glimpse of your note to Mr. Najimi earlier."

"So... I'm not in trouble?"

"No, I don't believe your transgression warrants a _punishment_. Do you think it does, Miss Aishi?" His eyes are half-lidded as he says this to her.

Ayano breaks eye contact and swallows.

"No sir."

While her head is still in its bowed position, he gives her a once-over, his right ankle crossed over his knee. Tilting his head to the side, the back of a pen held against his cheek.

"Well just remember, you're free to come to me any time you'd like to talk. Look on the bright side, if you do decide to tell me anything, I won't be here very long anyway." He smiled.

"I'll remember that Sir, thank you."

Walking out of the classroom, Ayano realized that this was the first time she had ever been asked by an authority figure if she ever wanted to talk. Could she really trust him? Only time would tell.

**~oOo~**

****

"Okay, what did you want? I'm like, super busy y'know. You better not have brought me in here to make out or anything, I'm not that type of girl. Plus, I barely know you and whatever so like-"

Musume's body hits the floor of the storage closet with a thud as the tranquilizer does its job. The bimbo didn't even bother to take her eyes off her phone to talk to him. Oh well, that ended up working in his favor anyway. Double-checking to make sure the door was locked, the mystery student picked up the unconscious body and placed her into a music trunk. He's very tempted to grab her by the dye job and toss her into it like yesterday's trash but he doesn't want to leave any DNA of her's behind.

Picking up the phone the Ronshaku heiress dropped, he quickly types out a believable message to whichever member of her posse she was talking to before he knocked her out.

Running a gloved hand over the coal-black material case holding his victim, the boy vows that Musume Ronshaku will never be the same once he's finished with her.

_She may not have hurt you directly, but I will **maim** anyone who causes you pain Ayano._

****

**To Be Continued...**

****

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Me: *Realizes this chapter has more Ayano x Kokona content than Ayano x Mido*
> 
> Also me: ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯


End file.
